The Governing Board of VERN' University adopted the proposal of the University Senate and, at the session held on March 28, 2025, appointed Prof. Dr. Sc. Vedran Mornar to the position of Rector of VERN' University for a four-year term.
" We are pleased that Prof. Dr. Sc. Vedran Mornar accepted our invitation to take on this leading academic position because his knowledge and rich experience in management positions in the science and higher education system are exactly what VERN' needs in the further phase of development. During his term, Rector Mornar will focus on the further development of international cooperation and the internationalization of VERN' University, stronger development of cooperation with the economy, and the development of existing and new study programs."
Prof. Dr. Sc. Vedran Mornar is a full professor with a permanent position at the Department of Applied Computing, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb (FER), President of the Croatian Academy of Technical Sciences, President of the Croatian Association for Information and Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics (MIPRO), and a member of the IEEE Computer Society.
In his rich career, he was, among other things, the Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing from 2006 to 2010, and its Vice-Dean for Education from 2002 to 2006. From 2009 to 2013, he was the President of the National Council for Higher Education , and from 2014 to 2016 , the Minister of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia . During his ministerial mandate, he initiated a comprehensive curricular reform, a reform of the employment system for young scientists, and worked on various other projects in science and education, such as the establishment of scientific centers of excellence, e-Schools, and the development of the Vocational Education and Training Development Program.
His professional interests include e-learning, the application of operations research in real-world information systems, and the design, development, and implementation of database-based systems.
"I am very proud that VERN' has shown its confidence in me by appointing me as rector. I accepted it with joy because I have been following the work of VERN' for a long time and I know that this is a university that does its job well, has well-chosen spheres of interest and capable people in the right places. As I presented to the Senate, after a more detailed introduction to the people and programs, we will embark on the continuous improvement of existing and development of new study programs with the aim of enabling students to be even more competitive on the domestic and international market, expanding cooperation with the economy, designing a stimulating system that will increase scientific production, and strengthening international cooperation and attracting more foreign students," said Rector Mornar.
The current rector, Prof. Dr. Sc. Vlatko Cvrtila, will remain engaged in teaching after his third term in office as a full professor in permanent election, and we welcome the new rector, Prof. Dr. Sc. Vedran Mornar, to VERN' University !
